Subtle yet Effecient
by Lunarwriter
Summary: She worked with the biggest heartthrob in the school. He needs to make sure this pretty boy knows where the boundaries lay. 1St up is DuncanXCourtney. 2/3 of this pairing's chap done.
1. Next Contestant

I want to do a oneshot for each of my fav. Pairings, just cause.  
Have mercy reviewers.  
I'm going to name each one after a song, cause I'm too lazy o pull a title out of the air right now.  
I DIDN'T BASE ANY STORY AFTER THE SONG, IT JUST SO HAPPENED TO FIT WITH IT

First one of seven.  
DuncanxCourtney

Next Contestant

The motorcycle stopped right in front of the bookstore, having the tires screech to a halt. The driver of said cycle stuck his leg over the side for balance and turned off his bike so it was quiet enough to speak. Yanking the helmet off around his face, he turned to talk to the passenger.  
"What time ya get off work?" Duncan raised an eyebrow to his girlfriend of three months. "There's that new horror movie coming out tonight at 10 and I wanna get front row seats." He stated grinning lazily.  
Courtney got off the back of the motorcycle and stood up straight, fixing her winded outfit. Looking in a compact, she brushed her hair that got ruined by the helmet. She was already angered about her frizzed tresses so the statement made her even more miffed. "Duncan, you know I hate those stupid horror movies."  
"They're better than those lame chick flicks you always fawn over."  
"Opinion noted. I'm still not going." She said, fixing her hair until she found it passable. "Besides, it's R rated."  
"So? Your point?"  
"We're sixteen moron. And I doubt your dragging a 21 year old with us." She said, crossing her arms.  
"Who says we need an escort? Geoff works there 'member? He can sneak us in." He smirked, knowing she was about to commence in a 'Duncan you know better' speech.  
Surprisingly though, she just glared at him, and then shook her head hopelessly. "You can go on and risk whatever's left of your permanent record. I need to work until midnight anyway."  
"Yeah right Princess, you're just scared of slasher movies." He taunted, trying to push her to go. "This is a bookstore, not a nightclub. Like there's ever gonna be a rush hour at 12 at night for some boring novels."  
She stuck her hands on her hips, getting her official looking pose going. In a stern voice she reasoned "Even if that's true, I'm getting paid to work at midnight. I'm not going to blow off my duties just to see a gory, horrible plot stricken movie with multiple intercourse scenes. Just get Geoff to see it with you." Making that her final argument, she started to walk toward the entrance to the store.  
He called after her one last time. "So you expect me to drive round here at midnight then?"  
She turned around and replied nonchalantly "No, I expect you to be at the movies watching a 3 hour bloodfest. Don't worry, I'll get a ride from my mom." She walked into the store, causing the bell on the door to ring shortly. With that, Duncan was left alone. He stuck the helmet back over his green mohawked head and sparked his motorcycle back to life.  
"Like I'm gonna go with Geoff." He muttered, starting down the road. "I don't want _him_ clinging to me the whole time."

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"I thought you and Court were gonna see 'Hallows Eve' tonight dude." Geoff stated from the concession stand. Duncan had decided it wouldn't be worth seeing if Courtney wouldn't sneak in with him too. Where would the fun be in smuggling himself in when he did it all the time?  
"She's at her job working till midnight." He answered, chowing on some popcorn Geoff gave him on the house. "She's uptight about working her hours, no matter how out of whack they are." 'Then again,' He thought to himself 'she's uptight with everything.' He chuckled.  
"That's a bummer dude." Geoff said with sympathy. "I was excited on sneaking Court in here for the first time."  
"I'll get her to do it one of these days. She can't resist my charm for long." He stated smugly.  
"No doubt." Geoff grinned, high fiving him.  
"So whattya wanna do tonight?" Duncan raised his brow a bit. He needed a new agenda for the rest of the night. "Maybe we should see if Trent, DJ, and Owen can hang out at my place." He offered.  
Geoff looked hesitant before saying, "Sorry dude, kinda already have plans." He smiled and said "Bridge invited me over to her crib tonight to hang out in the pool. Night swimming is awesome dude. We gotta throw a pool party sometime."  
Duncan grinned, Geoff partied all the time. Pool or no pool. "Alright then. Just me, Farticus, Deej, and music boy."

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Opening his fourth can of pop, Owen chugged it down as Trent and DJ were engaged in a game of Poole. Duncan sat in an armchair in the corner, observing the game. Owen sat on the couch next to him, belching loudly, and normally as if it were breathing.  
"Dude, you have a gift or a serious problem my friend." DJ grinned, missing the ball he was aiming at. Trent waltzed around the table looking for a good angle.  
"It's all in the inhaling." The heavyset boy stated proudly, letting out a loud one that the whole tri state area probably heard. Following shortly came a quick burst from the south side. Owen blushed and started to laugh nervously. "Sorry…"  
"Oh GEEZ." Duncan plugged his nose with his fingers. "We need to put you in a plastic bubble, man." He sounded congested, considering he still had his nose pinched.  
DJ decided to hold his breath till it passed, and Trent pulled the rim of his shirt over the lower half of his face, not taking any chances.  
Once their eyes stopped watering, normal breathing was restored and the games carried on.  
"Hey Duncan, why the sudden interest to hang out tonight? You're usually not random with this stuff." Trent asked while chalking up the end of his pool cue.  
He shrugged. "Had other plans. I was gonna take Courtney to the movies, but she had to work all night." He took a baseball out of a nearby basket and started tossing it to himself. When Trent and DJ finished, it was gonna be him vs. the human gas cannon.  
Trent walked around the Poole table. "Oh yeah. She works at that one bookstore by Scarlet avenue right?"  
"Yep." Duncan said in a bored tone. "All the fire starting material you could want."  
Trent laughed. "Yeah, Gwen's into reading mysteries. Says she hangs with Courtney up there sometimes." He aimed the cue carefully across the table, his eye on the ball. "I'm surprised you leave Courtney up there all night." Trent nailed the ball, corner pocket.  
Duncan paused midthrow, glancing at Trent. "And why is that?" He raised one eyebrow, sounding unconcerned.  
Trent seemed to realize Duncan was not up to date with this info. "Oh you know. The new guy that works at the bookstore. I saw him when I went to go meet Gwen there last week."  
"What about him?" DJ asked for Duncan, taking interest in the subject.  
"He's a total piece of eye candy. Even Gwen was staring him down when I walked in."Trent furrowed his brows, but then had an easygoing face on again. "Can't really blame her though, every girl in there was drooling at the sight."  
"Oh yeah! Ain't he the guy that's in our Biology class?" DJ asked in general. Owen yelled out in remembrance.  
"You mean Justin?!" He laughed and sighed a bit. "Yeah, he's got such a smoking body, and chiseled chest, silk hair…I mean, that's what I hear the girls say! All the time, nonstop over his rock hard abs and pearly teeth! Hehehehe." He looked from side to side, fidgeting with his fingers. "Yeah…"  
"That's it? Some stupid heartthrob?" He laughed shortly. "Like I'd care about that." Duncan smirked and looked to the side, bored. The others dismissed the subject and continued on with the game, now discussing the next topic, football.  
But it wasn't really noticeable, considering he did it a lot, but Duncan was lighting his lighter and putting it out every couple seconds, and scowling harder than usual.

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3 Days later  
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Ding-ding  
Courtney turned to greet the next customer who walked in. "Welcome to All-in-one book store. How may I-?" She stopped short when she realized who it was that walked in. The person who enjoyed reading least in the world. "Duncan? What are you doing in here? Last time I checked, 'The Arsonists guide for Dummies' was in the bookstore down the street." She joked, continuing her previous job of stocking shelves.  
"You forget I pretty much wrote that book babe." He said, making his way over to where she was. He looked over her shoulder and grabbed one of the books she was stocking. "Oh great." He said sarcastically. "Like we need more political crap." He said, grimacing at the governors face on the cover of the thick reading material.  
Courtney scowled. "Maybe if you actually read one of them you'd learn a thing or two and realize it's actually enlightening."  
"Not gonna happen princess." He smirked and tossed the book back on top of the pile. "Where's the comics?"  
"This is a high quality bookstore, not some garage sale for crudely drawn picture books with fighting."  
"'Maybe if you actually read one of them you'd learn a thing or two and realize it's actually enlightening.'" He mimicked in a high pitched voice.  
She took the last book from the pile and shoved it into his chest roughly. The brunette then crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air as she walked away. "I don't get how anyone can tolerate you."  
"You do." He had no problem reminding her, with a smirk.  
"Barely." She walked behind the counter and continued reading a small piece of literature from earlier. "So why did you find the need to bother me at work too?" She asked, keeping her eyes on scanning pages.  
He shrugged his shoulders. "I was hoping they'd have some nice 'zines to check out. But apparently it's just full of 600 page books written by old kooks."  
She was about to reply haughtily when the bell rang once more. Courtney smiled, and Duncan turned, his eyes locked on the object of her vision. An annoyed face took over.  
'So it's that guy huh?' Duncan had to ask himself, grudgingly admitting that this guy really did look all that.  
He had a well toned body, and a tight shirt showing off said body, wavy brown hair, tanned skin, loose jeans, and sandals that he pulled off without a problem. All in all he was every girl's dream boy.  
'But Courtney wouldn't go for a guy like that.' He told himself surely. She was too stuck up and proud to give into what the crowd wants. To give up on her own expectations, well, scratch that, he told himself. He himself definitely wasn't what she expected.  
"Sorry I'm late." Justin said. Duncan couldn't help but note his boy band sounding voice. "Traffic was out of control."  
Courtney giggled to herself, Duncan scowled harder, as she replied "No problem. The boss isn't in yet so you're clear."  
"Sweet." He smiled, and his teeth glinted unnaturally bright in the sun. Courtney smiled once more and turned back to her other guest.  
"So Duncan what were-," She had to freeze midsentence on account of his lips suddenly finding hers.  
He gripped her shoulders and pulled her forward so suddenly she gave a small squeak in surprise. She closed her eyes naturally to the kiss, while his eyes found Justin's and sent a silent message.  
_Don't get any ideas._  
He pulled them apart and Courtney started to breath heavy from the intensity of the sudden making out.  
Duncan smiled to himself and said "Cya." He then walked out of the bookstore as if he hadn't just liplocked his girlfriend in front of a spectator.  
'Cool to know I can take her breath away.' He thought grinning to himself.  
He'd be getting hell from her later, but it was always worth it

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Alrighty I'm not entirely finished with this oneshot, but I wanted to know you guys liked it before I wrote the entire thing. Tell me what you think. Part 2 should be up soon, watch for an update!


	2. Next Contestant 2

DuncanxCourtney, part 2 of the oneshot Next Contestant.

(I'm doin' it in chunks cause I'm too anxious to wait to do the whole thing) Please read + Tell me what you think, If only 3 people like it, that's thrice the reason for me to keep going,

Courtney looked over to Justin embarrassed. "Sorry about that. I don't know what got into him." She looked away fluffing her hair and silently cursing Duncan for being so rash like that in front of people. Sure a peck on the cheek, but geez! He usually wasn't so rash…  
"Oh I don't mind." Justin smiled once more, and Courtney blushed again. This guy was out of this world, it was so unbelievable. And she got to work with him! All the girls in school looked to her with envy and she had to admit, it was a great feeling.  
"Well don't mind me, I'll just get started." He walked over toward the back of the room and began his task of taking stock. Courtney nodded and stayed upfront, already done her task for the hour. The brunette continued reading on, completely into her book.  
Justin looked back over through the front window and saw Duncan kicking his cycle to life and zooming down the street, dodging traffic.  
And then the model like teen smiled, and furrowed his brow, eyes hinting with something similar to that of a man about to ding dong ditch a cop's house.  
'I'm always up for some fun.'  
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A week later...

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At the house on 1453 Sampson Way, Bridgette and Courtney were hanging out in Bridgette's room, watching a movie that involved a surfer with a passion to be the best. Bridgette loved it, while Courtney found many flaws in the plot, character development, and overall the entire movie.  
"I mean come on! She wants to be the #1 surfer in the country! She can't let some stupid skater stop her from coming out on top."She exclaimed from her spot on Bridgette's bed.  
Bridgette smiled. One from the basic plot of the movie, and the other for her friends' crude review of it. She was so competitive and down to earth she thought of 'Happily Ever Afters' as a 'never gonna happen'. "Sometimes love just makes you do crazy things Courtney." She smiled while lying on the floor, and shoved a handful of chips into her mouth, watching her favorite scene where the skater tackles the surfer into the water.  
Courtney snorted quietly to herself. "Not to me it won't." She decided placing her fists on her hips.  
Bridgette laughed. "It already has. How many times has Duncan gotten you to swipe food with him from the cafeteria's secret stash?"  
"I'll have you know that's because we pay good money and they keep all the good things in the back, making us eat whatever sludge they vacuum off the floor."  
"You pack your lunch though."  
Courtney hadn't counted on her friend knowing this little fact. "Well fine, I do it for the other students of the school. A representative if you will. I'm trying to show them that a student can do anything they can put their mind to."  
"By stealing? Oh how noble of you."  
"Shut up!" She pinched the brim of her nose. Bridgette knew she had Courtney beat sideways. And Courtney knew that too, but hated to give in. "Alright, maybe a tiny part is for the rush." She said pinching her fingers together to emphasize the smallness of it.  
Bridgette smiled. "Nothing to be ashamed of Court, it's every teen's ambition. Now all ya gotta do is admit that your fawning over Duncan is the huge part of it."  
"I do not _fawn _over him!"  
"Right, and Gwen doesn't hate Heather."  
"I'm serious! I don't!"  
"You know, you're not denying it's the main reason."  
Courtney shrieked in frustration, crossed her arms, and got flushed from the anger. "Why is everyone trying to frazzle my nerves lately!?"  
Bridgette laughed once more and put her hands up in surrender. "Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to push you too far. Who else is frazzling your nerves?" She asked while returning her view to the movie while keeping her ears open to the conversation.  
"Duncan is." She sighed, narrowing her eyes to nothing in particular. "He keeps coming by my job and hanging out, bugging the everlasting life out of me."  
The blonde stuck another handful of chips in her mouth absentmindedly. "He _is_ your boyfriend you know. Kinda his job to hang with you."  
"It's not even that!" Courtney emphasized. "Every time he comes by he just starts making out in front of my coworker like we're alone! It's getting really obnoxious." She stated her dislike in the delinquent's actions. A usual habit.  
Bridgette started to chuckle. Courtney didn't find it so humorous. "What?!"  
"He's jealous of something." Bridgette stated. "Geoff was the same way when I became a lifeguard at the city pool. Every time I had to give a guy mouth to mouth, he'd kiss me right after in front of everyone. It's just a way of showing he cares." Bridgette seemed lighthearted at the idea. She even seemed to think it sweet. Courtney wasn't so accepting.  
"Peck on the lips, and tonsil hockey are two entirely different matters."  
"Well Duncan is a bit more to the point than Geoff is."  
"True." Courtney nodded. "But it doesn't make it right. I mean, what is there to be jealous of? He knows I'm not some cheating hussy who flirts with every guy she sees."  
"No matter how cocky men act, they always have a feeling of inferiority at some point when it comes to other males." Bridgette said knowingly.  
Courtney replied, "I can see that, but it all depends on the male. I mean, I don't think I'll live to see the day when Duncan feels inferior to Harold or Ezekiel in anyway."  
The two girls laughed hysterically for a few minutes until they wiped the tears from their eyes.  
"I can see why he would in your case though. I mean you work with Justin right?"  
Courtney blushed as she thought of the incredibly hot-looking teen. "Yeah."  
"Well you are left alone with him for a good 6 hours a day. Maybe Duncan just wants to lessen that alone time."  
"Ch." She scoffed. "He should know I wouldn't try anything with him. He's not my type of guy. He's just-"  
"Unbearably gorgeous to look at?"  
"Yeah." They sighed in unison. "There will never be anything between us. I couldn't stand the thought of being with him." Courtney ended the topic there, insisting they get back to the last part of the movie. Bridgette smiled as she saw the ending scene to the film, the two heroes of the movie sharing their first kiss.  
'Or stand the thought of being without Duncan.' Bridgette thought to herself.

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Justin had been working the past week knowing Duncan came in at 5 every day and hanging out until about 7, leaving, and then picking Courtney up by nine. But on Thursdays Duncan usually didn't come for whatever reason it was. Justin decided this was the day he'd initiate his little game.  
He always loved messing with people's lovelives since the gift came so easily to him. He could get any girl he wanted and proving that to confident tough looking males was always a fun ego boost. He got a kick out of seeing relationships sputter out of whack all because he smiled wider than usual.  
But this girl was tougher than the rest. No matter how many compliments and smiles he sent her way, she would just blush, never crack.  
But her boyfriend was just too arrogant not to test.  
Maybe it was time to push the limit.  
He waited 'til Thursday evening while Courtney was stocking a shelf a little beyond her reach. When he saw her struggling a bit on her tip toes to reach the top shelf he made his journey over to her. "Need help there sweetheart?"  
She blinked and looked over in Justin's direction. "No no, that's not necessary. I got it on my own." She was blushing and Justin smirked. "Doesn't look that way sweetie, come on I'll give you a hand." Her eyes widened and she started to stutter when he came from behind her; grabbing the book she was reaching to put on the top shelf and without any trouble, planted it up there. He let his arm slide down hers casually. "Th-thanks, but I'm sure I can handle the rest. Now please go on and-" She spun around to look him in the face but said face was stuck right in front of hers when she turned.

Too close for comfort, Courtney decided.  
With blood rushing through the apple of her cheeks, Justin decided to make his final strike for the night. "Looks like my hour's up there cupcake, but I'll cya tomorrow." Sealing his fate, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked out the door to the sidewalk. He left with a smirk on his face, and in his path a speechless Courtney.  
'Let the games begin.'

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"Woah Courtney slow down! Now say it again but slower!"  
"Jus-tin flir-ted with me!" Courtney emphasized each symbol. She was pacing in the her room at home, talking quickly in a panicked voice on her cell phone. She felt confused, angry, distressed, embarrassed, and completely thrown off. This came out of NOWHERE.  
"Alright wait up, what do you mean by flirt?" Bridgette's voice, while sounding anxious tried to calm her friend down.  
"He came up behind me and stuck his face close to mine," She was ranting on every event she could recall in a rush, "And he kept calling me stupid pet names and then he just KISSED ME." She was fuming now. "What kind of arrogant stuck up guy just kisses a girl he doesn't even know? I mean, I told him to go away practically and then he just UGH!"  
"Relax Courtney! Don't worry, we'll tell your boss to fire him or change your hours or something."  
"My boss is an old prune who can barely tell left from right." She whispered harshly into the phone. " I doubt he's going to take the effort to change our hours around."  
"Well then we'll just talk to the guy and tell him to leave you alone."  
"What if he doesn't listen? I'm not going to quit my job and have it look bad on my résumé just cause some jerk won't keep inside his own bubble."  
"He would listen if we had Duncan talk to him."  
Courtney's eyes widened. "Oh no. No, no, no. We can't have Duncan down here causing a scene. That won't help at all."  
"You know he's gonna wanna know anyway Courtney."  
"He's never one to use his words."  
"Well when he does it's very effective."  
"Maybe, but his temper's another story."  
"True. Well the worst that will happen will probably be just a threat. You know how he gets."  
"I don't want him getting in trouble with the police for threatening. It's not worth another stain thrown on his already tarnished record. Promise me you won't tell him."  
"Come on Court-"  
"Promise me!"  
Bridgette sighed. "Fine I won't tell Duncan."

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"Woah! You serious Bridge?!" Geoff exclaimed over the phone.  
"A hundred percent. Courtney told me herself." 'She never said I couldn't tell Geoff to tell Duncan.' Bridgette thought cleverly.  
"You sure he knew Courtney and Duncan had a thing?"  
"Yeah, Courtney mentioned that Duncan kissed her in front of him a dozen times."  
"Dude, that is _not_ cool hitting on another man's woman."  
"I know, that's why I need you to tell Duncan so he can go over and deal with Justin."  
"Yeah I read ya Bridge, I'm just not sure we should tell Duncan this."  
"Oh, not you too." Bridgette sighed.  
"Well the dude has matches…and can break into houses…and can use a knife." Geoff stated with doubt hanging on every word.  
"Well he won't use those on Justin."  
"You can never be sure with that dude, 'specially in this situation."  
"Well we can't just let Justin hang there, making out with Courtney whenever he pleases."  
Geoff sighed. "Alright I'll tell him, just don't be surprised to hear the fireworks afterwards."  
"Thanks Geoff, I owe you." Bridgette said happily.  
"Anything for you Bridge."

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Alright then, I've decided I will update the last chap after this, then when I make the next 'oneshot' I will combine these three chaps into one huge chap making said oneshot.  
If you read this far, I give you hugs. –Hug- Luv ya!


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